Osborn Will Be Honored Tonight By Business Associates, Friends | Flashback

This tale was printed in the March 15, 1969, edition of the Lewiston Tribune.

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M. L. (Ozzie) Osborn, Lewiston city finance commissioner and manager of the J.C. Penney Co. store below for the last 10 several years, will get rid of the latter title March 31 when he retires just after 40 years with the Penney group.

Just after that, he will share his time between civic and community actions at Lewiston and his Cool Spring Ranch close to Lenore. His Lewiston office will be at 204 Weisgerber Setting up.

To honor him, about 100 of his business enterprise associates and pals and associates of his family will gather this night at 6 for a retirement bash at the Lewiston Golfing & State Club.

Osborn will answer with a breakfast at the Hotel Lewis-Clark tomorrow early morning at 9.

His successor at the Penney keep hasn’t been introduced.

Officials Owing

Among the individuals attending the activities below this weekend are officials from the office retail store chain’s zone workplace at Denver — such as William J. Guthrie, previous manager of the Montgomery Ward & Co. retailer at Lewiston, and Mrs. Guthrie — and district managers at Spokane and Billings, Mont., furthermore professionals of the Penney stores all over the Inland Empire and other parts of the West.

Osborn stated not long ago he plans to remain at Lewiston “another 50 years” and that his motto is:

“If it is to be—it is up to me.”

He was born on a farm in South Dakota and lived there until finally he was 14. He later on moved with his mother and father to Eugene, Ore., exactly where he attended community colleges and later on, the University of Oregon.

He started his employment with J.C. Penney Co. at Eugene in 1929. In 1938 he was transferred to Pendleton and in 1940 to Organization as retailer supervisor. He was transferred to Colville, Wash., in 1945 to deal with the store there. He opened a new retail store at Richland, Wash., in 1953 and moved to the Spokane Division Street retail outlet in 1955. He came to Lewiston in August, 1959.

He initial achieved J.C. Penney, founder of the business who now is 93, in 1931 when Osborn was a stock clerk at the Eugene store and Penney was active in administration of the company.

Osborn has been lively in civic affairs and has served as president of the chamber of commerce in three communities, which include the Better Lewiston chamber in 1966. He also has served with volunteer fireplace departments at Organization and Colville and has been a board member of numerous support golf equipment.

Assisted With JA

His desire in youthful folks led him to support arrange Junior Achievement of Lewiston-Clarkston, Inc., an adult corporation which sponsors miniature organization companies to enable teach high college college students the rules of organization enterprise. He served as its president in 1967-68.

He was named employer of the yr in 1965 by the Lewiston Distributive Schooling Club.

At Lewiston, he also serves as chairman of the Salvation Military Advisory Board and as vice president of the Lewiston Roundup Ass’n. He is a chamber director and twice has served as chairman of the chamber’s Merchants’ Committee.

Less than his administration, the Lewiston J.C. Penney retail outlet has expanded its revenue region and has joined with other merchants in the institution and procedure of an F St. parking lot guiding the retail outlet. In the facial area of a shift by Montgomery Ward & Co. to Lewiston Middle in 1965 and stiff level of competition from it and other browsing center outlets since then, Osborn has ongoing to be a sturdy advocate of an improved downtown buying location.

Continues To Prosper

His retailer, which has ongoing to prosper, fulfilled the developing competitors in aspect by emphasis on improved quality men’s, women’s and children’s putting on clothing.

Osborn was elected to a four-yr expression on the Lewiston Town Commission very last Nov. 13. In that capacity, he serves on the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport Fee.

He and his wife, Maxine, stay at 2615 Sunset Travel. Their three daughters, two of them accompanied by their husbands, are to be at tonight’s party. They are Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Linsner, Very long Seashore, Calif. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Kauffman, Spokane, and Jill Osborn, who resides at the family members house.